Tremor Shakes Los Angeles

LAPD: "We are well aware of it."

The quake's epicenter was just northwest of Los Angeles.
Courtesy of Google Maps

Last week, Northern California "dodged a bullet" when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the Eureka coast. This morning, Southern California took its turn. A magnitude 4.4 quake originated in the San Fernando Valley, about six miles north-northwest of the westside L.A. neighborhood Westwood.

Occurring at 6:25 a.m., the earthquake was the largest to strike Los Angeles in years and shook many area residents awake. In a press conference, USGS seismologist Robert Graves noted that six aftershocks, including a magnitude 2.7 tremor, followed the quake but that the probability of the quake foreshadowing a more serious episode was only about 5 percent. Scientists have predicted for years that the next "megaquake" to shake the West Coast could strike Los Angeles.